Supported by a new gift from the Leinweber Foundation, Princeton University is joining the prestigious Leinweber Network for Theoretical Physics.gettyThe Leinweber Foundation has made a major gift establishing the Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics at Princeton University. With the gift, the exact amount of which was not disclosed, Princeton become the newest member of the Leinweber Network for Theoretical Physics, an association of leading physics research institutions in the United States.With this new gift, the Leinweber Foundation has now committed more than $165 million to advance fundamental science research at the nine U.S. institutions currently in the Leinweber network. That support represents one of the largest private commitments ever made on behalf of theoretical physics, including faculty research; graduate student and postdoc support; and inter-institutional conferences, workshops, visiting scholars and a network-wide convening every two years. The nine institutions in the network, all of which have received Leinweber Foundation gifts, include the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. “Princeton has a long and distinguished tradition of foundational research in theoretical physics, and the Leinweber Foundation’s generous gift will support this work on our campus while also enabling deeper collaboration with our peer institutions,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber, in a news release. “Larry Leinweber’s visionary philanthropy is having a real impact in advancing discovery in this important field.” The Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics at Princeton will be an interdisciplinary hub, drawing on Princeton’s long-standing strengths in the physical sciences and engineering. It will include researchers from several departments across the university who will address fundamental aspects of theoretical physics, including high-energy and elementary particle physics, gravitational physics and cosmology, and the mathematics underlying those areas. MORE FOR YOUEliot Quataert, professor of astrophysics and the Charles A. Young Professor of Astrophysical Sciences, will serve as the inaugural director of the Leinweber Forum at Princeton.“With the addition of Princeton University to the Leinweber network, we have created and continue to expand a critical mass of theoretical physicists from the country’s most prestigious programs. We believe the Leinweber network will not only strengthen U.S. leadership in basic science, but also inspire curiosity, creativity and groundbreaking discoveries for generations to come,” said Larry D. Leinweber, in the release. About Larry LeinweberLarry Leinweber earned his BS degree in physical sciences from Michigan State University in 1964. After his graduation, he first took a job with IBM as a systems engineer. He launched Advanced Computer Management, a software company, at age 28. In 1981, Leinweber founded New World Systems, which developed ERP software for city and county governments. He served as New World’ President and CEO for more than 30 years, before it merged with Tyler Technologies. Today, he’s president of The Ascent Group, a Detroit-based technology investment firm he started with his son, David Leinweber. Leinweber founded the Leinweber Foundation in 2015. His philanthropy has focused on building scientific infrastructure and research through a number of major gifts. In 2025, he gave a total of $90 million to establish Leinweber Institutes for Theoretical Physics at the University of Michigan, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Institute for Advanced Study. Earlier this year, the Leinweber Foundation made a $50 million commitment to establish the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation at Michigan State University.